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First Lady

Description

The beautiful young widow of the President of the United States thought she was free of the White House, but circumstances have forced her back into the role of First Lady. She's made up her mind to escape-if only for a few days-so she can live the life of an ordinary person. An entire nation is searching for her, but the First Lady is in the last place anyone would think to look-in the company of a seductive stranger whose charm and good looks are awakening the forgotten woman within. With two adorable little orphaned girls along for the ride, they're heading out across the heartland, chasing their own American Dream-on a wild journey of love, adventure, and glorious rebirth.

Reviews

misura_1

If road trips with sullen teens and demonic babies sound like fun to you, this may be the book for you. Not my cup of tea, alas - although the basic premise was fun and interesting, this book just didn't work for me.

kimsalyers

wasn't to bad of a book started and finished it last night

sarielle-2

Most of the books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips are hit or miss for me. I either like them a lot either strongly dislike them. This is one of the few that I liked but it didn't grabbed me as much as some others.

I definitely liked the main characters Mat and Nealy. The idea of the First Lady as a heroine is really refreshing and unique. The girls even though a bit stereotypical are also okay. I also liked that Nealy isn't one of those totally naive and silly heroines.

However, I have to admit that I didn't enjoyed the ending. In my opinion Nealy's reaction on Mat's secret is exaggerated, especially that she isn't honest with him for most part of their relationship, too. There is also a problem of the feelings between them. I couldn't found them unfortunately. I can eventually imagine that Nealy is a bit fascinated by Mat since he is so different from the man she knows but I couldn't found any proper explanation for his feelings. Especially, feelings as strong as he describes them in his final speech which is by the way really romantic and completely over the top in their situation.

I generally liked this story and like I said First Lady as a heroine is a great idea. I'm giving this book 3.5 star for those annoying parts and ridiculous ending.

jendoyle2000

Took a little while for me to get into it -- Mat Jorik was a bit too rough for my taste to begin with -- but after awhile I fell for him and Nealy/Nell entirely, not to mention Lucy and Button. One of the things I really like in my (admittedly limited) exposure to Susan Elizabeth Phillips is her secondary characters and this was no exception. Of course I can't remember the name of the couple from the campground now, but I absolutely loved them.I just noticed this is #4 in a series, although I can't totally imagine how it fits in to other books. I read it as a standalone and it definitely holds up that way, but I'll seek out the other books in this series as well.

jenneb_2

The First Lady escapes! Or gets kidnapped or something! And she goes on this cross-country odyssey with some guy and they argue and then fall in love!I forget what was the deal with the president, he was probably gay, or dead, or cheating on her, you know how it goes in these things.

jenj5

First Lady delivered exactly what I expect and want from Susan Elizabeth Phillips - a light, entertaining read with charming characters (teenage Lucy is a treat - although her transformation was way too easy to reflect real life, that's not what I'm looking for here). It was nice to see an honorable female politician elected to the White House by the end - maybe someday that won't feel like such a fantastical proposition.

conkie_1

It's hard not to love the stories Ms. Phillips writes. This one is no exception. The story is humorous, clever, and largely, believable. Ms. Fields is an exceptional narrator. The listener can hear irony, tribulation, and deadpan humor in her delivery, without feeling she's being "over-the-top". Another great combo.

darla_2

Cornelia Case (am I the only one who kept reading this as "Cordelia Chase"?) has been in the public eye for nearly her entire life--first as the daughter of the Vice President, then as the First Lady. And now that her husband has been assassinated, she thinks she'll get some privacy.Think again. Her husband's Vice President, the new President, is single, and everyone (except Cornelia) thinks she'd be the best person to continue to fill that role. So she tries, but finally she can't take it anymore, and she escapes, disguised as an old woman.Mat Jorik is a burned-out tabloid journalist who needs one good real news story to recover his integrity and his career. What he gets are his recently deceased ex-wife's daughters: a teenager named Lucy and a baby known only as Butt. When he discovers they're living alone, he loads them into their mother's ancient Winnebago--they won't fit in his sports car--to take them to their grandmother in Iowa, where they'll stay once he gets the paternity issue straightened out.Mat and Nealy meet when her car is stolen, with all her money and belongings inside, and he offers her a ride in exchange for a loan and helping him out with the girls.Everyone, except perhaps the baby, is concealing something. Nealy is hiding her identity and a Very Big Secret. Mat is hiding his profession. Lucy is hiding the baby's name and her vulnerability and another Very Big Secret. Despite that, they all become very close and form a family during the trip... a family that could fall apart at any moment.A lot of the reviews called this an unusual story for SEP, but it seemed pretty usual to me--maybe we see different things in SEP's books. It has the humor and the rich emotional depth I've come to expect from her, as well as an impossible pairing. The characters were all very real--Nealy was absolutely convincing as a widowed First Lady, someone raised to public service, but for whom it's become just too much. Mat and Lucy were likewise very real. These were characters I could believe in.

gogglemiss

This was an author whose books I've always wanted to read and for the first time, I was not disappointed. Good storyline. interesting snippets about past First Ladies tricks in diplomacy, character development was absorbing to read. It was very funny too. Nealy's longing for the normal life as she sampled Nell Kelly's life was sweet.